100 YEARS OF BIKES 15 YEARS OF KR CLASSICS
Chas Mortimer and Paul Goodyear at Gracefield on Yamaha TZ350s
be more motorcycles on New Zealand roads than at any time before or since . The 70s saw the end of European dominance . Most of the legendary British marques had disappeared , and the Japanese industry had matured . Having dominated the small bike market in the 1960s , the big four , Honda , Yamaha , Suzuki , and Kawasaki finally stepped up and captured the big bike market in the 1970s , and this was apparent in the Marlboro Series . For five short years Australians looked to New Zealand for top road racing fixtures in the southern hemisphere . The Japanese factories were sending bikes to this country that would be tested in the Marlboro Series and then raced in Europe during the northern hemisphere summer .
DEMISE OF THE SERIES So , if it was so successful , why did it stop ? Several theories emerged . Motorcycle journalist Don Cox said at the time , “ The loss of the Marlboro Series is indeed sad , and will put the cause back more years than most of us would like to consider ”. Among other things blamed were , “ amateur organisers biting off more than they could chew ”. Some blamed lack of sponsorship . The total prize money for the 1976 series was for example $ 30,000 . The money demanded today to bring riders of the calibre of Luccinelli , Hennen , and Mamola to this country would bankrupt promoters . Bearing in mind , of course , that riders of such calibre are today typically tied into contracts that restrict them to one class of racing , often in the northern hemisphere . The Marlboro Series was great while it lasted .
80 KIWI RIDER